My Best Friend's Wedding
by Sorceress Myst
Summary: Friendships can be destroyed when a romantic interest comes between them. Clair and Nel try to keep their friendship intact while serving their country at the same time. NelClair friendship and Albel? Oneshot.


I know everyone is waiting for Aquios High, but as I have mentioned in my profile, Aquios High is now under hiatus. If you want to know why, then thank a person named TossGirl because her post is what made me stop. Someday I will put the last chapter up, but it's going to be a loooooong time before that happens. I hope this one-shot is enough of an apology to all the fans of Aquios High (…even though this story has nothing to do with the AH storyline)

Oh and two more things: I do not own Star Ocean or any of its characters and be sure to read through the whole fic because it's not what it seems.

My Best Friend's Wedding

The day was finally here. After months of meticulous planning to get the right dresses, flowers, and catering for the wedding, everyone could finally relax…well except for the bride and groom. It was a glorious day, one that was supposed to bring hope to all the people of Airyglyph and Aquaria. The marriage was a sign of peace between the kingdoms. The age of war was over and now it was time to begin anew. Even Fayt and the others had come to support their Elicoorian friends as they were the ones in the spotlight today.

That's right. Today was the day Albel Nox and Clair Lasbard were to be married. It was a marriage of convenience and the bride and groom had accepted their fate. Albel hadn't fought at all, despite popular belief. The king's orders were law and he wasn't about to turn against him. As for Clair, she was the only one left to accept the offer.

The queen had originally suggested Nel to be the bride, but the Crimson Blade was quick to protest. Romeria respected her subjects and allowed them the choice to refuse and so released Nel from the contract. In fact nearly everyone had refused until Adray made his daughter step forward. Once Clair realized no one was going to accept, she had decided to take the offer. She knew her duty to Aquaria and the marriage was an important ceremony to bring peace to the kingdoms. The fact that Albel was the groom made little difference to her.

Naturally Adray was happy that his daughter was finally getting a husband and couldn't contain his excitement. He gladly provided all the Fol to get all of the decorations and food and he even helped put up those decorations. …And he helped himself to some of the food too. Everyone seemed happy today, all except one…

Nel was brooding in the dressing room as maids helped Clair into her wedding dress. _She_ was the one who was supposed to marry. It was _her_ duty to bring peace to the kingdoms, but the minute she had heard who the groom was, she turned tail and fled. Now the task fell to her best friend. Still…what happened to the brave warrior who fought alongside Fayt and Cliff to save the universe? Why did marriage scare her so? …No, the real question was why the idea of being Albel's bride frightened her.

She fought by his side and tolerated him, so why did it matter that he was the groom? It wasn't like they would have expected them to be in love. She knew Albel didn't really care who would marry him. All he wanted was for the whole thing to be over so he could get back to training his brigade. Nel couldn't bear to be the wife of someone like that. Especially not when she was…

"Nel? What's wrong?" a voice pulled her out of her thoughts. Nel glanced up to see Clair in her gorgeous white and silver tinted dress. The minute her eyes met Clair's golden ones, she immediately glanced away. What was she doing? This was Clair's special day and she should be happy for her… at least she tried to be happy because it seemed that Clair _did_ like Albel.

Last night Queen Romeria had held a feast in Albel and Clair's honor, but Nel didn't have the appetite and decided not to attend. She spent her day in Irisa Fields training and thinking until the guilt of not being there for her friend drove her to return. The feast was over by the time she came back to Aquios and that was where she saw it. Albel was escorting his fiancé to her house, which was a tradition in Aquaria. However, that wasn't what struck Nel. What got her was when Clair suddenly moved to hug him and he didn't push her away.

It was beyond the spy why she even cared that they hugged, but the image was still burned in her memory. It _shouldn't _have bothered her at all. After all, Albel had no feelings for her. But at least he seemed to have feelings for Clair.

"…It's nothing," Nel finally answered after a long while. Clair thanked the maids and informed them that she could take care of the rest. Once they were alone, the silver haired bride sat down at the vanity to apply some makeup.

"It's not 'nothing'. I know something is bothering you, please tell me," she pleaded. When Nel refused to answer, she continued for her, "You love him. And you should be the one in my place. That's what you're thinking."

The red haired spy shot up from her seat, "Don't be silly! I do _not_ love Albel Nox! …But I feel that I have abandoned my duty by making you take my place."

"You didn't _make_ me, I don't mind this. But Nel, I'm not stupid. I know you better than that and you're mistaken if you think I'll believe that blatant lie," Clair scolded as she slammed down the lipstick dispenser. Her face softened when she faced her long time friend, "I don't get you. If you love him, then why did you refuse to marry him?"

Nel gave her a sad smile before she pressed her side against the cold white wall of the room. There was no fooling Clair…

"It doesn't matter if I love him or not. An arranged marriage is usually a loveless one and if I were to marry, I would like to be with someone who would eventually love me in return. Albel doesn't care about me and I refuse to be his wife if he's only going to ignore me." The spy hadn't once looked her in the eye and chose to keep it that way.

"Nel, you don't understand…" Clair sighed before Nel gave a short laugh.

"I know. I saw what happened last night and apparently he _is_ capable of falling in love. But don't worry Clair. I'm happy for you." This time she was able to lift up her eyes and true to her word, she did appear to be happy. But Clair could easily see through the mask and found her hidden pain and sadness.

She shifted in her seat to better face Nel and ended up forgetting about her makeup completely, "About last night, Albel really-"

"It's okay Clair, I'll get over it. You don't need to cheer me up."

Her conscious was getting to her now, but Nel didn't want to listen to her words. However, this needed to be said, "You need to listen to me. Albel is-"

Someone started knocking at the door, effectively ruining the chance. Clair let out another sigh, "…Come in."

The door slowly opened and then Adray's large frame slid into the room. Nel raised an eyebrow as she realized that the aged runologist was actually wearing a shirt for once in his life. Then again, even _Adray_ would respect his daughter's wedding enough to dress up for it. Clair arose from her seat as he crossed the room. But before he could reach her, he threw a surprised glance at Nel. While it was rare to see Adray wearing a shirt, it was just about as rare to see Nel wearing a pale pink dress.

Since she was the maid of honor, the bridemaids' dresses had to complement her and the choices here narrowed down to pale pink or lavender. Unfortunately, Nel wasn't paying too close attention and picked pink by mistake. …Or perhaps Sophia had something to do with it.

When he tore his gaze from Nel to look at his daughter, his eyes shone with pride. It was at that moment Nel couldn't help but notice how old Adray appeared just then. His only child was getting married and that only proved that he was getting on in years.

"…You look just like your mother," he said in a quiet tone, almost as if he were going to burst into tears. Nel chose to quietly slip out so they could have their private father/daughter moment.

When she was out in the silent carpeted halls, she let out a breath and leaned against the wall. She thought she could relax for a few minutes, but lost all hope when she detected a presence walking towards her. She opened to eyes to find Albel staring back at her. He was certainly cleaned up for the occasion as well. His braids were undone and were simply tied back into a long ponytail with a dark red ribbon that matched the color of the pants he wore. He also had a black robe on that extended to his knees and to complete his outfit, the Crimson Scourge hung proudly from his waist. The sword was the only weapon he carried as he decided not to wear his claw to the ceremony.

He looked very handsome, much more than Nel would admit out loud. She shook her head, "What do you think you're doing here?"

"I want to talk to Clair," he replied as his eyes examined her.

"Well you can't right now, Adray is talking to her. You should go back anyway, Fayt said something about it being bad luck to see the bride before the ceremony."

"Bah, what does he know? That boy is probably still a virgin," he muttered as he turned on his heel and walked back the way he came.

That almost made her grin in amusement. Almost.

Before Albel could reach the archway that led to the main hall, he paused to glance at her, "…You look beautiful…"

Nel blinked a few times and wondered if she heard right. Had Albel complemented her? Was he drunk or was he trying to act like a civil being? She decided that she misheard him and that he really said 'You must die'. At least _that _sounded like something he would say.

* * *

The feast was grand and everyone had their fill. Queen Romeria had long since retired to her bedchambers and the eating contest between Adray and Cliff was finally over, with Adray being the victor. Clair had fun for the most part even though she had to stay around Albel at all times. It was tradition that the bride and groom stay together from morning to night on the day before the wedding. However, Clair had been forced to spend more time with him than was necessary because they had to appear before the people to reassure them. 

Nel had always been around to help her survive his crude remarks… at least she had been until this night. Clair knew Nel's true feelings for her intended and knew that she was straining to remain by her side as a loyal friend should do. This was the one night Nel couldn't bear to attend and Clair knew why. Nel needed all her wits about her to survive the ceremony tomorrow.

Since the feast was over, it was time to retire for the night. Albel had to escort her back to her home and then they were not to see each other again until the wedding. Clair had to admit how fast she had been to pick up on his habits from the short time they'd been together. She knew exactly what he was thinking. In fact he didn't hesitate to make his thoughts known once they were outside the palace.

"…Where was Nel? I didn't see her there."

"She said that she had some mission and couldn't make it," Clair answered with an eye roll. She could tell Albel didn't believe that excuse either, "I think she's really training somewhere nearby."

"Hmm…" He gave no other indication that he wanted to say anything else. The golden eyed woman let out a sigh before a small smile was displayed on her lips.

"You and her are so much alike, it's frightening." He glanced down at her, but didn't say anything. But his eyes clearly said that he wanted her to explain her statement, "I can read you just as easily as I can read Nel. You want her in my place. You'd rather have her as your wife."

"It doesn't matter who I marry. I'm here because my king ordered me to be here. As long as a Glyphian and Aquarian are wedded, then the peace treaty will be fulfilled," he growled in annoyance.

"But wouldn't it be better if you could marry someone you love? If Nel knew your feelings for her, then-"

"Nel has made it clear that she doesn't want to be around me unless it is necessary," he interjected, "If it were otherwise, _then_ she would be here instead of you. However, if you are telling me that you don't wish to go through with the ceremony, then you better inform your queen."

"It's not that!" she argued as she pulled on his arm to get him to stop walking, "I just want to make sure there will be no regrets between you and Nel."

"Regrets? I regret ever meeting that wretched woman!"

Clair mulled his comment in her mind and was able to translate it as 'Regrets? I regret not making her mine!'. Well he was giving her a look that said that anyway. She stayed silent for a few more minutes, until they were in a secluded area close to her mansion.

"Albel? Could you grant one request for me? I know it may be too late, but please tell Nel how you feel."

"What good would that do? You're asking me to act like a weak fool and bow down to her," he snarled until a shocked look came over his features as Clair wrapped her arms around his middle in a slight hug.

"Please Albel, all you have to do is tell her. And then…if you want…you don't have to see her again," she pleaded with part of her face buried in his chest. She wondered why he didn't push her away and then wondered if he was thinking over her words.

But when she dared to lift her head, she noticed he was staring at something. She followed his gaze to find that Nel had returned and was staring at them with wide eyes. Clair let go of Albel and was about to say something, but the red head quickly bowed to them and ran off…

Just as smoothly as she applied the lipstick, she threw down the dispenser in a graceful, yet frustrated movement. Clair looked in the mirror to find a beautiful, yet sad maiden staring back at her. This was all wrong! She was losing her friend over a misunderstanding and stubborn pride. She rested her face in her hands to hold back the tears that were threatening to fall. She had already used up the last of her defenses to hide her tears when her father was in the room…

What was she going to do? If she went ahead with the marriage the peace treaty would begin, but she would lose her friend. If she didn't go through with it, then no one else would take her place and the kingdoms would remain in a tense truce.

* * *

Nel sighed as she glanced at her friends sitting in the front row below her. She was wearing a veil that was thick enough to hide her face, yet allowed her to see perfectly. Clair had an identical veil, but hers was silver instead of pink. The ceremony had started over ten minutes ago, but Clair hadn't appeared at the altar yet. The only ones at the altar were Nel, Albel, Fayt, and the priest. 

Every now and then she would glance at Albel who was looking as bored as ever as he awaited his bride. If she had paid closer attention, she would have noticed that his crimson eyes were on her the entire time. Where was Clair? Surely she must know that the ceremony had started. Unfortunately, Nel couldn't leave the altar to go check up on her. She had no choice but to wait.

And so they all waited. And waited…and waited. It was getting close to an hour of waiting before Tynave rushed through the main doors in a panic.

"Lady Clair is missing! I can't find her anywhere!" she shouted before the guests began talking frantically amongst themselves. Nel lifted her veil and shot a glance at Albel and Fayt.

"I'm going to go look for her!" she announced and then started running off. It wasn't like Clair to get cold feet so something must be wrong…

"I'll go look too," Fayt offered as he followed. Cliff, Mirage, and Maria also joined the search and split up to cover more ground.

Nel knew her friend well. If anything bothered Clair, then there were only a few places she would go to think. It was a good thing the wedding was taking place in Aquaria, otherwise Nel wouldn't be able to find her at all. But still, something like this wasn't like Clair. She could, in fact, be in trouble or maybe some rebels managed to kidnap her to prevent the wedding. Clair wouldn't be able to fight anyone off while unarmed and in her wedding dress.

Heels clacked loudly on the cobblestone roads as she ran out of the church and into the town. First things first, she needed to make sure that Clair wasn't hiding somewhere. There were a number of places that she could be if she had left to go think and Nel knew them all. However, she spy cringed as she wobbled on her high heeled dress shoes. If she were in her uniform, then she could move faster.

The first stop was the garden in the back of Clair's home. There weren't many places she could hide in there to keep out of sight and Clair was obviously not there. Nel didn't stay any longer than a minute. …But the garden near the Zelpher mansion did have places to hide. Nel hadn't been by her home in ages and had a feeling that no one was tending the garden anymore. The only way into the garden was through a crack in the wall, but there were thorn vines from old rose bushes blocking the way.

While it seemed unlikely Clair would risk ruining her dress to get in there, Nel decided to play it safe and trudged through the obstacle. After all, she had a spare dress back in her room at the palace. She was just lucky that she had left her veil behind since there was no replacement for it. Her efforts appeared to be in vain when a short search of the area told her that the bride wasn't there either. She checked every little corner and clearing in the untamed garden before searching her mansion for good measure.

When it was apparent that no one else was in there, Nel kicked off her shoes at the front door and continued on barefoot. The feeling of dread and panic slowly started rising as she visited more quiet places with no results. She ran into Cliff and Fayt to report that Clair may not be in Aquios. They decided to skim around the outskirts of the city and search the Irisa Fields while she continued her search within the city.

Nel wasn't in any condition to go with them since she wasn't armed with her usual weapons. All she had was a small dagger strapped to her thigh, but that was enough for intruding humans, not monsters and her runology was useless if she didn't have any armor to protect her while she chanted the spell. After a few more stops around town, she eventually sat down on the stone steps in front of the palace to think. The feeling of dread was still resting down in her belly and was rising up to her chest. As another hour passed with no sightings of her, the feeling rose to her throat, causing her to hold back small cries.

Clair had something she wanted to tell her, didn't she? Nel regretted not staying long enough to listen. Maybe what she had to say entailed where she was hiding or why. It was then that another thought crossed Nel's mind. If Clair wasn't hiding and no ransom note was found saying that she was kidnapped, then there could have been one other choice…

Without even thinking, her feet began guiding her to the Moonlit Bridge. Was Clair really so upset that she would…? No…she was too strong willed to give up so easily. It was foolish to think she would commit suicide. Nel made it to the bridge anyway and cringed when she noticed that Albel was there looking over the edge.

"Wha… What are you doing here?" she managed to say, gaining his attention. Even if Clair was missing, he was not supposed to leave the church.

"To get some fresh air. How you Aquarians somehow manage to sit in there for hours is beyond me," he muttered in annoyance.

Nel sighed and rolled her eyes. It wasn't long before she found herself standing beside him and glancing down at the glassy smooth surface of the river below. If (and it's a really big 'if') Clair were to take her life. This was where she would do it. Looking down at the calm surface made Nel realize how irrational her thinking was. But still, it was rather eerie to see Albel looking down with a depressed look.

If the spy hadn't known any better, she would have thought that either Clair had long since taken the dive or Albel was going to do it. But, Nel reasoned, even Wicked Ones were troubled by small problems. Maybe he was hiding the fact that he was worried about Clair's disappearance.

"You don't need to worry anymore…" He eventually said, disrupting her concentration on the water. When she gazed at him in confusion, he added, "I saw the worm a few minutes ago."

Some part of her was disappointed in him because it seemed he would even call his future wife names, "You did? Did you tell anyone else?"

"She told me not to tell anyone yet. That worm- Clair," he corrected himself, "said that she had something she needed to take care of before she could go through with the ceremony. …Besides, the fools haven't returned from their little outing yet."

Nel thought over his story. What in the world did Clair need to do? She would have asked Albel, but he probably didn't know anymore than the fact that Clair wasn't missing, "If that's true, then I'm going to check up on her. Did she tell you where she was going?"

He only shook his head before mentioning that she ran back into the city. Nel was torn from annoyance of the chase to relief that Clair wasn't in another town as she gathered up the tattered ends of her dress and prepared to run off to search again.

"Wait." She heard him call out before she could get far, "Stay a while."

Nel paused before turning to stare at him in surprise. It was highly unlike him to request in such a nice tone. He almost sounded needy.

"Why?"

"I want to talk. Got a problem with that?" he snapped as he crossed his arms and sat on the edge of the railing. Her eyes never left him as she slowly made her way back to her former position beside him. While he did sound like his normal self, something was …odd about him. Whenever he felt the need to let down his defenses and want to have a conversation with someone, it was usually with Fayt. The blue haired boy was almost his confidant.

But no words would pass through their lips as they sat amidst the quiet atmosphere. For someone who 'wanted to talk', he wasn't saying much. Then again how could she expect any more from him? She couldn't stand the silence and had to say something. Might as well bring up something she needed to ask him…

"Hey Albel, I know you hate me and all-" she began but he cut her off.

"Who said that I hate you?"

She blinked after she glanced at him. Was he trying to say that he _did_ like her? "Well you're not particularly nice to me."

"When have I ever been nice to anyone?"

True. She bit her lip slightly and then decided to store the information in the back of her mind. He certainly was in the mood to ask a lot of questions. She almost felt like she was in an interrogation.

"Well anyway, I hope you won't mind me visiting Clair after you're married. She's still my friend and I would appreciate it if I'm not chased out of your property when I do visit her."

"I don't mind, but how do you know she will be living with me? For all I know, she could be like you and put work before her family. You'd still see her everyday," he replied in a cool tone. She couldn't ignore what he was indicating and tried hard not to get too angry.

"Clair is not like that! …And I'm not like that either. If I _had_ a family, then I would spend as much time with them as I could." She couldn't help but feel a little depressed after saying that. Before she had become a 'workaholic', her father was still alive and they used to do everything a family would do. But once he was gone, all she had left was Clair. Since they were both training to be in the army, they had become the best team and when someone became the best, they couldn't just slack off. …So in a way it would appear that she and Clair were workaholics.

He didn't respond for a long while and he seemed to be contemplating something. His eyes were closed and she had to wonder if he fell asleep on her. She was torn between leaving him to find Clair or to ask if he was okay, but he soon opened his eyes and glanced at her.

"It would be nice to have a battle of wits with you every day," he commented lightly. Nel smiled and mimicked his pose beside him.

"You …could always challenge Clair."

"She's _too_ good. Every time I insult her, I somehow end up looking like the fool," Albel replied with a shake of the head.

"Yeah I know the feeling. She always gets me too!" she chuckled before pushing red strands of hair from her eyes.

Nel didn't know how it happened, but Albel was smiling back at her and they were both leaning towards each other. If she didn't know any better, it looked like Albel was going to…

"Lady Nel!" a high-pitched voice called from a distance. Nel quickly jerked back to face the city entrance. She was relieved to find Farleen was just turning the corner and hadn't seen them close together. It wouldn't do if she saw them and started a misunderstanding. But then she had to wonder how her subordinate found her. Did someone see her running to the bridge?

"Yes Farleen, what is it?" Nel inquired uncomfortably when she approached her.

"I found Lady Clair. She's in her room and she says that she wants to speak with you alone before the wedding starts again," the violet haired girl puffed from exhaustion. After hearing about Clair, Nel immediately shifted to her 'leadership' persona.

"I see. Thank you for telling me, Farleen. I will go see her this instant. You should go tell the priest and the others of the situation and tell them to be patient for a little longer."

"Yes ma'am!" she bowed before running off to accomplish the order. When Nel turned back to face Albel, she was surprised to find that he was still standing close to her and had one hand gripping the railing behind her. She blushed slightly from the nearness and quickly backed away before he could notice.

"Well I better go see what Clair wants…" she said quietly as she tried to walk away, but Albel grabbed her wrist before she could get far.

"Wait. I need to tell you something before you go." She tried pulling away to get free from his grasp, but he wasn't letting go anytime soon.

"I really need to go see her. Can't you tell me later?" Nel complained before she could stop herself. Suddenly his eyes hardened before he lowered his head and released her.

"Fine."

She rubbed her wrist and turned to leave, but then she heard Albel whisper, "I knew I shouldn't have believed that worm."

"What?" Nel called as she swiftly faced him. She _knew_ that he was referring to Clair by the tone infliction.

"Nothing," he growled as turned his back to her.

"No, tell me what you said," she let out in an even tone. She couldn't keep back the traces of anger in her voice as she took a step closer to him. How dare he doubt Clair! True, she wasn't quite sure exactly _what _reason gave him the idea that he couldn't believe her, but no one should _ever_ doubt Clair because she never lied. …Well at least she never lied without a good reason too.

"It doesn't matter," he replied with a shake of his head, "Just go already. No point staying with me more than you have to…"

"…What?" she inquired again, but in a much softer voice.

"It's not surprising that you hate me. After all the things I've done to you and your subordinates during the war…you should hate me, like any other normal person," he continued without glancing at her. She smirked before she could stop herself. So he thought she hated him?

"For your information, my feelings for you are the complete opposite of hate," she replied as she backed away and then started walking towards the city, "When it happened, I began to loathe the fact that I had fallen for my former enemy. And now, it doesn't even matter."

Albel's eyes widened before he sharply faced her retreating form, "If that's true, then why did you refuse to marry me in the first place?"

"Even if you don't hate me, you can't possibly be in love with me. I can't marry you knowing that." The words tumbled out of her mouth as her feet stopped moving. It really was pointless to tell him now of all times, but she knew it would make Clair happy if she did let him know how she felt. Nel began walking again and then said before she turned a corner, "Besides, I want my friend to be happy and I won't interfere with that."

"Get back here woman! I'm not finished with you yet!" he shouted when she was out of sight. Nel quickly ran away so that he wouldn't catch up to her. She couldn't bear to hear what he had to say, it couldn't have been what she wanted to hear…

* * *

When Nel arrived in Clair's room, she found it empty. But she did know that someone had been in there by the fact that the chairs have been moved. She closed the door behind her and traveled further into the room. Upon closer inspection, she noticed Clair's wedding dress was hanging on the mannequin again next to Nel's spare bride's maid dress. If Clair wasn't in her wedding dress anymore, then that meant she was in her uniform. What on Elicoor was going through her mind? Did she intend to call off the wedding and go on some mission? 

When Nel reached the vanity, she sensed something shift behind her and saw a small movement of black in the reflection of the mirror. She glanced behind her to find out what it was, but nothing was there. It was all too calm and still… The minute she took one step away from the vanity, a flash of black and silver came at her from her left. Before she could defend or even register the attack, she found herself lying face up on the bed with a rather familiar face pinning her down and holding a dagger to her throat.

"C-Clair?" she managed to sputter out in shock. Her golden eyes were filled with frustration and fear as she tightened her hold on the dagger.

"You are a very, _very_ stubborn person, Nel. And your rival could only be Albel. If this is the only way to get your full attention without having you interrupt me and run away, then so be it," Clair ground out through her slightly clenched jaw.

"What do you mean-" Nel tried to ask but then felt the cold blade press up against her flesh more.

"Quiet!" Clair yelled, "Until I finish telling you what I've been trying to tell you this morning, you are not allowed to speak. Understand?"

Slowly Nel nodded her head, trying to be careful not to nick herself on the blade. It was at that moment, for once in her life, Nel felt true fear. She had never witnessed her friend turning her blade against her and she had no clue what she could have done to make Clair this angry with her. If all she had to do was listen in order to make her happy again, then she would treat it as seriously as a mission from the queen.

"Albel _loves_ you! Not me. _You_! What you saw last night was a misunderstanding. I was hugging him to convince him to tell you how he felt about you," she started, almost in a rush. Silence be damned, Nel thought after she heard the first sentence. Clair must have been just saying that because she felt bad about her.

"Clair I-"

"Don't speak!" she warned as she pressed the blade closer to Nel's neck again, "Stop denying it. I know for a fact that he loves you. He always wants to talk to _you_. He always stares at _you_. He always asks _you_ to spar with him. And if that's not enough reason to believe that he loves you, then how about the fact that I got him to _tell_ me that he loves you?"

To say that Nel was shocked at the end of her speech was an understatement. Her eyes were widened, pupils were slightly dilated, and her muscles were stiff. For a moment, Clair was worried that she might have killed her, but she noticed that there was no blood on her dagger or on Nel's neck. Clair then smirked slightly as she sheathed her dagger back into where it belonged. She didn't expect her to be _this_ shocked. She was at least hoping that Nel had an _idea_ that he could have loved her.

"I'm done. Do you have anything to say now?" She crawled off the bed to allow Nel to get up.

"…I just told him how I felt…" she let out quietly before anger marred her features, "Why didn't he say anything?"

"Well I'm shocked that you confessed and disappointed that you waited this long. As for his answer, did you even listen to him?"

"I…ran off to find you," Nel admitted with a slight blush as she sat up in the bed.

"Typical…" Clair muttered while shaking her head.

"But he could have said something before," she argued as her friend laughed at her.

"He could have," Clair agreed, "But then he had too much pride. As far as I can determine, he despises being weak and he saw it 'weak' to tell you."

"But how did you get him to tell you?" Nel wondered. It wasn't beyond Clair to threaten or beat up someone to get information, but she highly doubted Albel would be so easy to fight.

"Oh…he tried to insult me and I turned it around for him to where he blurted it out accidentally. Too easy," Clair smiled as she shrugged nonchalantly, "He can be cute, but I'd rather find someone more intellectually challenging."

Nel didn't say anything as she crawled off the bed and smoothed out the ripped parts of her dress. She just wondered what exactly Albel had _said_ to her that made the conversation turn around to discuss his love life. Clair had always been good, but Nel never anticipated in her being _that_ good.

"I even got him to tell me why he fell in love with you. Do you want to hear it?"

"No, it's better if he told me himself," Nel said softly as she shook her head.

"Really?" Clair prodded with a grin, "It's quite amusing. He even was as disgusted and furious as you were when he discovered that he even _liked _you."

"Of course it would be amusing to you…" she smiled lightly, but then frowned, "But what does it matter? It's too late to do anything. You are the one assigned to marry him for the peace treaty."

"…True. Can you ever forgive me?" The silver haired woman inquired solemnly as she lowered her head. Nel glanced at her in confusion.

"For what?"

"For not making you see the truth sooner…and for taking your place in the wedding."

"Nothing to forgive. It was all my fault to begin with." Nel walked over to her to give her a small hug, but as she pulled away, Clair held onto her tighter.

"Are you sure there is nothing we can do to fix this situation?" Clair asked close to Nel's ear before pulling away.

"No, it's too late. The guests are here waiting for the bride, so let's get you back into your dress and …finish this," she sighed at the end. Clair didn't seem to notice that Nel spoke at all as she studied her dress.

"Oh Nel, you ruined your dress!" She then gave her red haired friend a pointed look that the spy was quick to catch on.

"Clair…Are you sure?" she inquired, stunned, as Clair began pulling her over to the dresses in the corner of the room.

"Yes, I'm sure," she replied confidently.

* * *

Cliff and Fayt had returned shortly after it was announced that the wedding ceremony was going to continue. Albel and Fayt were once again back at the altar with the priest, but this time Nel was absent. It was assumed that she was still with Clair and was helping her prepare…or was making sure the bride didn't run away again. Suddenly the main doors opened to reveal a woman dressed in pink wearing a thick veil. She slowly made her way down the aisle and up to the altar where she calmly informed the priest that the bride was coming. 

Albel couldn't take his eyes off of the woman, especially not after what had transpired earlier. He wasn't sure what to do anymore and wasn't sure he wanted to continue with the ceremony anymore. However, he knew his king was in the crowd watching him and calling it off would disappoint him. In no more than a minute of waiting, the doors opened once again for the bride. The Aquarians present whispered amongst themselves about how beautiful the bride was despite her face being completely covered by the veil. The Glyphians, however, merely stared at her as they silently wondered if she was even good enough to marry one of their own.

The progression to the altar was slow as the wedding dress was long and the bride had to be careful not to trip. When she finally arrived, she noticed Albel giving his usual glare. But knowing him as long as she had, she knew the glare was inquisitive and confused instead of threatening. Just as Albel leaned down to offer his arm, she leaned closer to his ear and whispered, "Don't worry. Everything is fine now."

The way her voice sounded was strange and he couldn't figure out why. Had she been crying or something? Without any further delay, the priest began reading the ancient text from the book, blessing the couple to have a long prosperous marriage. But Albel didn't hear a single word. His eyes kept traveling from the bridesmaid to the bride. He didn't realize that his jaw was clenching and he had his right hand in a tight fist. Fayt noticed this and let out a small smile. He thought the groom was going through wedding jitters.

"Calm down Albel, it'll be over before you know it," he uttered quietly for only Albel to hear. It didn't take long for the Wicked One to register the short laugh that came with the words. Was that fool laughing at him? Albel held back the angry growl. That maggot just earned himself a spot on the list of people he MUST maim today. He placed Fayt third in line after Adray and Lasselle in his mental list before going back to the dilemma at hand.

If both of them knew about his feelings, then why hadn't they done anything? Then again why should he have to wait for one of them to say something? Ever since he was a child, he had learned that if he wanted something, then he must get it himself.

"Stop this, maggot! I don't want this to continue," he yelled suddenly at the priest, just as he (ironically) asked if anyone had any protests to the union. All the guests gasped at Albel's declaration as the King of Airyglyph arose from his seat next to Queen Romeria behind the altar.

"Albel, are you sure you don't want to continue? Think over your words wisely," he warned with a stern look towards his loyal subject. Albel held his gaze with a determined look, but before he could repeat his words, the bridesmaid stepped forward.

"Albel, don't! It's okay…really. There is no reason for us to stop this," she said with a fist clenched against her chest. He then lowered his gaze down to the pink veiled woman. Why was she stopping him? He looked at her unusual stance before he began to realize something. He knew what was going on now…

He realized what they were doing and that it was their choice. Albel may be able to destroy lives but he couldn't destroy a friendship like theirs. He had no choice but to concede and go with their plans. But, he had made quite a ruckus. How was he going to fix it now?

"I…_bah_, _whatever_! Just get on with it, maggot. I'm tired of standing here," he grumbled as he tried to look more annoyed than ever.

"Aww, isn't that cute? The hotshot has cold feet!" Cliff's voice was clearly heard from the crowd, causing Albel to clench his teeth and stiffen. The ape was going on the maim list too…

The priest stuttered for a minute before continuing through the ceremony. When it was over, Lasselle brought over the official document for them to sign. The ceremony was only for show, but the marriage wasn't official unless they signed their names on the ledger. After they signed their names, Lasselle raised an eyebrow, but said nothing as he walked off and presented the ledger to the Queen. After the King had a view of the document and both gave their consent to the marriage, the audience applauded the newlywed couple.

Cliff and Roger chanted 'Kiss her! Kiss her!' to Albel as he lead his bride out of the church. A kiss wasn't even necessary for the ceremony and no one wanted to suggest such a thing to Albel. Mirage, Tynave, and Farleen had to quickly silence the boys before Albel became offended. Thankfully, all he did was glare at them before adding Roger to his quickly growing list.

With a sigh, Albel helped his bride into the lum drawn carriage that would take them to his home in Airyglyph. But before he climbed in, he noticed the bridesmaid watching them from the main stairway of the palace. He gave her a tiny smile and a nod and then signaled to the driver to leave. If anyone paid close enough attention, they would have seen Albel mouthing 'thank you' to her. He knew what the two were up to and in the end he was grateful for it. At least he didn't need to fear being weak to admit his love for something other than death and carnage.

With a crack of a whip, the lum began running off. The bride and groom could be seen looking back at them from the small window as the carriage rode off. The bridesmaid then ran to the area where the carriage was once parked to wave at them before she raised her hand to pull off her veil. Everyone was in for a surprise when they saw silver locks of hair tumble down onto her shoulders.

"Clair?" Sophia called out in shock, "Aren't you supposed to be in the carriage with Albel?"

"But if you're here then who's…oh," Maria stopped as she realized what had happened.

"Nel and I decided to switch places since she was originally the one assigned to marry," Clair replied offering no other details to the offworlders.

Fayt took one more glance at the now long gone carriage before walking up to Clair, "But is this alright? Wouldn't the switch affect the peace treaty? And what about Nel? Was she okay with it? I remember that she adamantly refused to take part in it.

"It's okay Fayt," she reassured with a smile, "The conditions of the treaty was for an Aquarian and a Glyphian to be wed and both Her Majesty and the King of Airyglyph saw the signatures and consented."

She paused before she wistfully glanced at the horizon, "And as for Nel… She was only fulfilling her duty to both her country and her heart."

Sophia and Maria always had a feeling that Nel liked Albel, but the glare she would give them when confronting her drove them away. Fayt mulled over Clair's words, not quite understanding what's going on nor understanding why Nel would view a wedding as a mission. He never got it through his blue haired head that Nel's hostility towards Albel became an act shortly after he had first joined the group.

The girls agreed that boys would never understand a woman's true feelings, especially after it took Mirage five tries to get Cliff to understand why Maria was moody once every month. As Maria and Sophia tried to explain to Fayt what had happened, Tynave came out of the palace with a large bag of Fol.

"Lady Clair," she began in a slightly disgusted sigh, "Here's your 10,000 Fol…"

"Ah yes…the bet."

Everyone stared wide-eyed as the silver haired woman accepted the hefty sum of money and wondered what the bet could have been about. Several months ago, Tynave and Clair noticed Nel's feelings for Albel and started a bet to see if she would tell him. Tynave figured that she knew her captain well enough to say that she would remain stubborn for the rest of her life, but Clair was able to prove that Nel could be provoked with the right situation. Tynave was still pretty miffed over losing, but she still had to know one thing…

"Lady Clair? Did you accept the mission to be the bride just to get Lady Nel to admit her feelings for Albel?"

Clair didn't answer immediately as she gave yet another smile. But this time her grin was a tiny bit sinister, "That, dear Tynave, is a secret."

Clair knew her friends too well and was the only one who knew Nel could admit her feelings. The fact that she made money on it only came as a bonus. She then cast her gold eyes upon Cliff and Mirage on the steps… Did anyone notice that they acted more than just partners? She _could_ use some more money to be able to purchase one of those 'sky ships' that the Klausians used to travel space with. If she could go traveling, then not only she could escape her father, maybe she could find herself a cute guy and marry him. Just like off of one of those cheap romance novels Maria tried to write one time.

"Sophia, Maria, how much do you want to bet that Cliff will be tied down by one woman in the next month?"

* * *

Well once I get the novel form of Aquios High finished and sent out, I'll have more time to update the older Alnel stories and that one Glophia so look out for them. See you guys around!


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